Dr. Lisa M. Goldfarb

Lisa M. Goldfarb, MD, is a psychiatrist in New York City, where she has offices both in Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights. In private practice since 1993, Dr. Goldfarb is an expert in addiction psychiatry, general psychiatry, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and diagnostic evaluations.

Dr. Goldfarb sees patients who are age 18 and older for issues ranging from substance use, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders to behavioral addictions, attention deficit disorder, and women’s mental health issues. Most patients are referred by other clinicians, but some do self-refer.

Dr. Goldfarb offers patients a variety of psychotherapy services depending upon their specific concerns and treatment goals. She is experienced in psychodynamic therapy, cognitive therapy, motivational interviewing, supportive psychotherapy, and relaxation techniques.

“I provide patients with high-level comprehensive care,” she says. “I like to fully understand the diagnostic picture and then take focus on a psychotherapeutic approach, prescribing psychiatric medications only when necessary.”

Dr. Goldfarb commonly recommends complementary and alternative medications and techniques to patients. She prefers to see patients for a comprehensive combined treatment of both psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, but she does do consultations and prescribes medications for patients who are in therapy with other doctors.

She sees patients both in-person and via a secure telehealth service. She does prefer to meet new patients in person.

“I strive to help patients reach a point in their mood and behavioral states from which they can reach their goals and thrive,” she says. “I help patients explore both their psychological minds as well as their biological (neurotransmitter dysregulation) issues. My role is to provide foundational support and help each person move forward.”

About half of Dr. Goldfarb’s patients present with problems relating to substance use or addictive patterns, and others see her for general psychiatry or mood and anxiety disorders.

“Most people with drug and alcohol addictions are tied up in knots psychologically, and biologically they are caught in difficult mood, anxiety, withdrawal, and dependence cycles. They need to be empowered to progress in both areas,” she says, “A good addiction psychiatrist needs to be a good general psychiatrist and psychotherapist, too.”

Dr. Goldfarb also helps families and friends address substance use patterns and other self-destructive behaviors in their loved ones.

She is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.

Dr. Goldfarb has been honored with several NYU teaching awards, as well as with the American Psychiatric Association’s Irma Bland Award for Excellence in Teaching Residents.

Dr. Goldfarb earned her medical degree at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City in 1989. She then completed her residency in psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University and a Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at New York University Medical Center. She completed her psychoanalytic training in 2000 at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in life sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Dr. Goldfarb is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, where she developed and has taught the “Neurobiology of Addiction” course to second-year residents for many years. She has served since 2000 as a lecturer at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, and since 2007 as an adjunct professor at Bellevue Hospital.

She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.